With zero ping pong balls, Pistons still win at NBA draft lottery

The Pistons may not have anything to gain at the recent NBA draft lottery, but with the Bulls having the Knicks' top pick and several other Eastern Conference squads having a shot to land big-time future stars Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, Detroit was happy to see the top two picks go to west coast teams.

May 25, Royal Oak Daily Tribune: "We're playing against a pretty good impact player here in the East right now," Pistons director of scouting George David said. "I don't think we need anymore."

Portland and Seattle finished 1-2 in the draft lottery while the teams with the worst records, Memphis and Boston, slid to the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.

"You're talking about two franchise-type players and both went to the West," vice president of basketball operations John Hammond said. "You don't want to wish bad fortune on someone else but it is a factor."
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The Pistons seemingly benefited from the results because not only did the Celtics miss out on the duo of Oden and Durant but six other Eastern Conference clubs -- Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Indiana, Charlotte and Milwaukee -- also failed to move into the top two. But those clubs will still improve significantly, according to David.

"With this draft being as deep as it is, it's not like the picks they're getting are shabby," he said. "They're still going to get a pretty good pick."